The Missing Memory Mystery
by jolly roger brat
Summary: When a visiting magician casts a spell to make Amber lose her memory and think she's a character in one of James' stories, the gang from Enchancia Castle finds itself in the middle of a real-life Andrew Harmon mystery.
1. Default Chapter

Everything was quiet in Enchancia Castle. However, a small Irish Red-and-White Setter woke up when he heard a soft moan come from the bed. The dog thought his master was having a nightmare, and tried to wake him up.

"Uhh…Jag…dizzy…" James murmured, laying an arm over his eyes as he felt his dog's nose on him.

The dog jumped off the bed and made his way out of James' room. He sniffed around, hoping to find someone to help him. He saw someone coming up to Sofia's room, and he went over.

"Jagger?" Clover asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Mister Clover!" Jagger yipped happily; he'd met Clover a few weeks after he came to live in the castle. He was one of the castle guard dog's puppies, but Sir Finnegan had given him to James, whose dog Rex had died.

"Jag, I keep telling you, it's just _Clover. Mister_ Clover was my father!" Clover chuckled, but he was happy that Jagger seemed to be smarter than Rex. "But what are you doing up?"

"I think James is sick," Jagger looked toward James' room. "Do you know where I can find someone to help him?"

Clover led him to Roland and Miranda's room. Jagger crept in and licked Roland's hand.

"What-" Roland woke up with a start. He looked around, and saw James' dog at his side. "Oh. Go to sleep, Jagger; James can take you out in the morning."

Hearing the dog's insistent whining, Miranda woke up and petted Jagger as she said, "I think he wants us to follow him."

"What's wrong, boy? Did little Timmy fall down the old well again?" Roland quipped as Jagger led him and Miranda to James' room.

All it took was a soft moan from James for Miranda to sense that something was wrong. She laid a hand on his forehead. "He's a little warm, and I thought he said 'dizzy.'"

"He was working on papers again, but I'm surprised he wasn't up all night," Roland said as he saw a good sized stack of papers still on the desk.

"I think he's learning to come up with a cut-off time, but we'll see if he feels better in the morning," Miranda went to a chair by his bed. "I'll stay with him, Rollie, and I'll tell you if there's any change in him."

The next morning, Baileywick knocked on the door. "Prince James, you're ten minutes behind schedule."

"Sorry, Bailey—whoa…" James sat up quickly, but fell against the pillows with a groan as he felt the room spin and his head pound.

Miranda was there to steady him. "You're staying in bed today, James. You feel warm, and you said you were dizzy."

"And I've got a massive headache…It was bound to happen. I must have been working too hard," James murmured.

"Maybe, but I also think you must have a touch of what your father had recently," Miranda said as Roland came in.

James looked dizzily up at Roland. "You did this to me! You make me sick!"

"Well, it's nice to know your sense of humor is still healthy," Roland smirked, mussing James' hair with one hand and tickling him with the other.

Miranda smiled sympathetically as James' laugh turned into a groan. "Rollie, maybe you should wait until he feels better before you do that. You don't want him to have an accident all over you, do you?"

"You're right, Miranda," Roland smiled. "But in all seriousness, James, I'm giving you a command to rest and take it easy until you feel better. And again, I can't believe it's come to that!"

That afternoon, James was still in his room, but with Sofia, Amber, Lucinda, and two of the castle maids, Dorrie and Candice Cooper. When they weren't playing games or talking about something, the girls were looking at a stack of folders that Dorrie had found. Surprisingly, they weren't official royal documents, but folders full of stories he'd written.

"These stories are incredible!" Candice smiled as she leafed through one. "I love these Andrew Harmon mysteries!"

"You and everyone else in the castle," Amber smiled. "James started writing those when we were little. He used our middle names as the characters' first and last names."

"And this one about the dog is so cute!" Dorrie added, leafing through a red folder.

"You only like that one because you were in it," Amber joked.

"And you like all of the stories because you're in them!" Lucinda grinned. "I mean, I like the ones I'm in, but they're all equally incredible!"

"Well, I was the first person James wrote about," Amber remembered. "He wrote a story involving one of my dolls, which I thought was lost, and how Andrew Harmon and Julie Melody worked together to find it."

"And you still have that doll, don't you?" James asked.

Amber grinned. "Of course I do! That doll was one that Mother gave me, and I keep her in a place of honor in my room."

"And I still have that story," James agreed. "That was the one I handed in for my first time with the creative writing class."

Amber noticed that his smile had become sad, since this was the story Princess Deidre had ripped up. But before she could do more than squeeze his hand comfortingly, he gave her a more cheerful look.

At the same time, everyone looked up when they heard a knock on the door. "Come in," James invited.

Baileywick walked in. "I've been instructed to bring all of you to the throne room," he started. "King Roland tried to tell our visitor that you were sick, James, but he was insistent that everyone in the family, and Dorrie and Candice, be here."

"No rest for the weary," James joked as Sofia helped him up. He was glad to lean on her shoulder a little as they made their way to the throne room.

As they sat down, a tall figure in a hooded cloak was in the center of the room. "Greetings, your majesties. Ladies," he said as he bowed to everyone, "I've come from afar to entertain you with my magic."

Even though James was still feeling sick, he caught the person's obvious attempt to disguise his voice. "Where did you say you were from, and what's your name again?" he asked.

"Oh, much farther than you've traveled, I'm quite sure," the person shrugged the question off. "And people call me Franciskus L. Wilde."

Before James could ask any more questions, Franciskus started his magic show. "I'd like to start my little performance by asking for a volunteer," he said as he took something out from the folds of his cloak.

"I always wanted to be in a magic show!" Amber squealed.

"Well, with that enthusiasm, you're just the type of person I'm looking for," Franciskus smiled. "Your task is simple, my dear. Just stand still, let me put this tiara on your head, and when I recite my spell, anything you think of will appear."

"Brilliant!" James murmured, but he started writing something down.

Amber stood in the designated spot, and the tiara was placed on her head. Franciskus aimed his wand at her, and shouted, _"Memoria disappearo!"_

However, before Amber could be fully engulfed in a bright white light, Dorrie threw the first thing she could pick up between them, which happened to be a folder that James had one of his stories in. Amber staggered back and fell with the notebook beside her.

"Guards! Seize him!" Roland yelled as the family gathered around Amber.

The figure ran off with the guards in hot pursuit, and Sofia took Amber's hand as she sat up. "Amber, are you okay?"

Amber looked around for a minute. "Of course I am, Amanda; why would you ask such a thing? And why did you call me Amber? You know my name is Julie Melody."

Sofia was stunned. Amanda was her middle name, and James used people's middle names in his stories as the characters' first names.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Amber turned to James. "Andrew, why is everyone acting so strange?"

"That magician must have cast a spell on you," James reasoned. "Don't worry, Amber…I mean Julie…" he added, deciding to play along for the time being, "we'll find him and fix this." He then whispered to Roland, "And don't worry, Dad; I won't immortalize this little adventure!"

"You do what you have to do, James; I'll send the knights and the guards to find this person as well," Roland murmured back. "And I know you won't write about this."

James nodded, then turned to Candice, saying in a frantic whisper, "Candice, quick! What's your middle name?"

"Megan," Candice whispered back.

"Thanks!" James whispered as Amber turned to him. He then whispered to Roland, "You know I use middle names as first names, and Dorrie and I promised Candice she could be in a future Andrew Harmon mystery."

"Andrew, what's with all the whispering?" she asked. "You know I don't like secrets!"

"Uh…I was just recruiting Amanda, Megan, Evelyn, and Chloe to help find the guy who did this to you," James motioned toward Sofia, Candice, Dorrie, and Lucinda. "Don't worry, Julie; we'll get everything back to normal soon…I hope!"

As the group began its search for the magician who had done this to Amber, they all had the same thought: Get Amber's memory back quickly.

 **Author's Notes**

 **Dorrie and Candice are characters of Niagara14301, and used with their permission.**

 **Candice's middle name of Megan and Dorrie's middle name of Evelyn were created by Niagara14301.**

 **Jagger, James' dog, was introduced in chapter 8 of my story The Enchancian Canine Caper.**

 **Roland not believing that he had to order James to rest came from chapter 2 of my story Pet Stories.**

 **James' "Where did you say you were from" question is from Aladdin, as is the figure's reply of "Much farther than you've traveled, I'm sure."**

 **While James said he wouldn't "immortalize this adventure", he did write a story involving a dog, the basis for The Enchancian Canine Caper, which was also hinted at in chapter 8 of my story The Rise and Fall of Eze Gray (Dorrie was in it, but Candice wasn't, and James promised to writer her character into his next story).**

 **And anyone want to take a guess as to who Franciskus L. Wilde is?**


	2. Cast of Characters

**In chapter 2 of my story The Enchancian Canine Caper, I gave a little description of the characters in James' story. In this story, we learn about a few new people, and what some of them have been up to since their last adventure. (Everyone will also be calling each other by their character names.)**

James: Andrew Harmon. Prince of Jameslandia. Also a spy for the kingdom. Impulsive, flirts with girls, not above breaking a rule or two. Works more in the field than Julie.

Amber: Julie Melody. Princess of Jameslandia. Also a spy for the kingdom. Tries to keep Andrew focused, but her by-the-book behavior drives him crazy. Prefers to stay inside and monitor her brother's activities. She does more "inside" work than her brother.

Sofia: Amanda Millezar: Since her last encounter with Andrew, she and her mother accepted jobs at the castle following the retirement of the former potion master.

King Roland: Duke Herbert. Captain of the Royal Guard. Has background knowledge of criminal activity, since he used to work as a double agent. Supports Andrew when he goes out to solve mysteries. Sees Andrew as a young version of himself, and acts as a mentor to him. Strong and intelligent, he knows more about Julie and Andrew's activities than he lets on to his colleagues, and often risks his job by allowing Andrew to get into danger

Candice: Megan, a new maid at Jameslandia Castle. Friend of Julie and Andrew, but shows an interest in potion making. When not working around the castle, she can be found with Elisa and Amanda, dabbling in one potion project or another.

Sir Finnegan: King Wallace, king of Jameslandia. Although serious and rigid, he is a fair and accommodating ruler. He also loves a good grilled cheese sandwich (minus the crust) every now and then.

Lucinda: Chloe. Royal inventor of Jameslandia. Knowledge of magic and background in science. Always gives Julie and Andrew neat inventions to solve cases. (Much like Gwen, making inventions ahead of their time.)

Dorrie: Evelyn, one of the maids at Jameslandia Castle. Friend of Julie and Andrew. Has a crush on Andrew, but accepts that he sees her as a friend. Sometimes goes into the field to deliver messages or Chloe's inventions.

Miranda: Elisa Millezar. Amanda's mother. Since her last encounter with Andrew, she was hired as the castle's new potion mistress.

Violet: Lynn. Head maid at Jameslandia Castle. Like Theodore, she makes sure everything runs smoothly.

Baileywick: Theodore. Castle steward of Jameslandia Castle. Always on top of everything, tries to keep Andrew out of trouble.

Slickwell: Randall. Magician who escaped the magical authorities following a magic show where several people were robbed. Found his way to Jameslandia, unaware of Julie and Andrew's talent for tracking troublemakers down.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for coming up with the middle name of Herbert for King Roland and Elisa for Queen Miranda. They also came up with the middle names for Dorrie (Evelyn), Candice (Megan), Violet (Lynn), and Baileywick (Theodore).**

 **Jameslandia was the fictional place James invented in The Emerald Key when he pretended to be a duke**

 **Sir Finnegan is from The Silent Knight, and his middle name of Wallace is my own invention, but we all know about his love of crustless grilled cheese sandwiches!**

 **Randall is a middle name I made up for Slickwell.**


	3. New faces and new information

The girls and James met in his room, and all his Andrew Harmon mystery story folders were in front of them. However, James was finding it increasingly hard to concentrate, not just because he was so dizzy, but because he was worried about Amber.

"James, be careful," Candice warned, watching him tapping his fingers on one of the folders, "If you're not careful, you'll wear a hole in the folder!"

"Folders can be replaced or repaired, Candice," James said distractedly.

"That's true, but let's focus on who did this," Sofia said soothingly, taking his hand and letting him lean on her shoulder again. "Fransiskus L. Wilde."

"Fransiskus L. Wilde? I've never heard of such a person before," Lucinda started. "The name must be fake."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," James muttered.

"Maybe we can find a solution to this mystery in one of your stories," Sofia suggested, seeing Dorrie carrying the box of James' stories.

"Good idea, Sof. Andrew Harmon and Julie Melody have solved a lot of mysteries in their day," James agreed. He reached for a folder, but dropped it with a groan, since he was still feeling woozy.

"James, before you do anything else, take this," Candice said as she handed him a bottle of blue liquid. "This potion will help with dizziness."

James took a sip from the bottle, and immediately felt better. "Thanks, Candice, now back to the box."

"Be careful, though, James, don't take too much at once," Candice warned. "Lucinda told me that she made this one other time, and more than one sip every hour causes hallucinations and severe vertigo."

"Like, trippy, man," James smirked, but he knew this was serious.

"And that's what you get for listening to that psychedelic music Dad likes," Lucinda rolled her eyes; she knew that when Roland wasn't trying to calm himself down with folk music following a visit from King Magnus, she'd sometimes heard him whistling _San Franciscan Nights_ in the halls on the way to his study.

"But in all seriousness, James, are there any stories we could look at to help us with this?" Dorrie asked.

"And do people set traps to catch the villain in your stories?" Sofia asked.

"I tried that idea once, but it didn't work the way I wanted," James started. "This box has my favorite stories in it, but I keep the stories that I want to work on in a different box in my closet."

"Maybe we could get those as well and compare notes," Candice suggested. "And who knows? This might give you an idea for a new story, or how to make your other stories better. I know you said you wouldn't write about what happened to Amber, but maybe you could use the solution, or a similar problem."

At the same time, Roland had summoned the knights and the guards and informed them about the situation. As they went out to search the castle, Sir Finnegan hung back. "Should I stay with Princess Amber, your Majesty? After all, I was cast as the king in Prince James' stories, and she might feel better if I was close by."

"That might be a good idea, Sir Finnegan," Roland agreed. "But remember, call her by her character name, Julie."

"Why didn't James put you in as the king in his stories, Rollie?" Miranda asked when Sir Finnegan left to keep an eye on Amber.

"He offered me that role when he first started writing those stories, but I said that being king of one kingdom was enough for me," Roland explained, "We agreed that I'd be fine as a duke. He'd met Sir Finnegan when he was younger, and added him to his list of characters when he became his squire. And up until then, Andrew and Julie worked together as spies around Jameslandia, under the watchful eyes of the castle staff."

"But who was king of Jameslandia before him?" Miranda asked.

"If I remember correctly, it was Sir Henley, Royal Prep's ice hockey coach," Roland said after a few moments. "He filled in for a teacher for one of James' classes, he saw him writing something down when James finished some work, and when he read it and saw himself in the story as 'King Henley', he said he was flattered to be included in the story, but to pick someone else to be king. He also said that James had quite a talent for writing, and encouraged the fairies to let him into the creative writing class, even though it was for students ten and up."

Miranda smiled. She'd heard the story before about how James joined the creative writing class, but she didn't know this part.

Their thoughts were interrupted when Baileywick entered, followed by one of the teachers at Royal Prep, and another princess. "Your Majesties, I heard about what happened to Princess Amber from Constable Miles, and he suggested that I bring the creative writing teacher from the Royal Preparatory Academy," he announced. "Presenting Miss Gloriana Elodie, and from the kingdom of Brilliancia, Princess Penny."

"It's good to see you again, Miss Elodie. I'm not sure how you can help with this situation, but any help you can give us will be greatly appreciated," Roland greeted them.

"And who's this?" Miranda asked, motioning to Penny.

"This is Princess Penny of Brilliancia, your Majesties," Miss Elodie introduced her, "She, and James, are two of the shining stars in my creative writing class! She happened to be with me when I was summoned here, and I also thought she could help us."

Penny smiled as she listened to the comments. However, she turned when she felt something bump against her. "Well, hello there!" she smiled as she heard snuffling, and knelt to pet Jagger, who was sniffing around her. "Who's this?"

"James' dog, Jagger," Miranda replied as Penny pet him, "If you want, it's no trouble to take him outside."

"No, your Majesties, he's very nice," Penny smiled as James and the girls entered.

"Jagger Brooks…" James scolded, seeing Jagger sniffing around Miss Elodie now.

"Oh, you and your music, Prince James," Miss Elodie smiled. "He's not doing anything wrong, and those are two of my favorite singers!"

Before James could say anything else, Jagger started nosing a small red book, which Sofia recognized as the notebook James had been writing in. As she picked it up, Jagger barked as he bounded over to a small box.

"Good boy, Jagger! Maybe there are clues in here!" Sofia smiled as she scratched his ears.

"James trained me really well!" Jagger agreed as they brought their findings over.

"So that's where my notebook went! Good boy, Jag!" James added, then he whispered, "Sorry about using your middle name; I didn't know what you were doing."

"I'm part guard dog, you know," Jagger reminded him; James' badge, like the girls' amulets, allowed him to talk to and understand animals.

"And look what else I found!" Dorrie spoke up. She used her wand to levitate something up, and floated it over to the group.

"What is it?" Penny asked, reaching for it.

"It's the tiara Amber wore when that Franciskus person hit her with the spell!" Candice recognized it.

"Penny, don't touch it! I've seen that before. It's in one of my mother's spellbooks," Lucinda spoke up. She looked worried. "Dorrie, Candice, I'm going to need your help. If this is what I think it is, we're in trouble."

"Why? What is it?" Sofia asked.

"I'll explain when I'm absolutely certain," Lucinda replied. "Dorrie, Candice, come with me. The rest of you, start thinking of ways to get Amber's memory back."

"I think I know something that will jog Amber's memory," Roland spoke up.

"That's brilliant, Dad! You and Mom go find Amber and try your idea," James replied, "Lucinda, you, Dorrie, and Candice do whatever it is you want to do with that tiara and see if you can find some way to reverse what it did to Amber. Miss Elodie, Penny, Sofia, and I will stay here and look through my stories. Sof was right; there might be a solution in one of them. And if not, at least I know how to make the stories better."

"Before we go…" Dorrie waved her wand over the box of folders. The box glowed for a moment, then returned to normal. "I just put a spell on the folders. Penny, if you'll pick one up and open it, you'll get a surprise."

Penny felt around the box, found a folder, and when she opened it, she got a surprise when the story started reading to her. "This is wonderful! Thank you, Dorrie!"

At the same time, James asked, "Penny, since Baileywick told you about what's going on with Amber, and that I use middle names as people's first names, what's yours? It's just something I've always done for the characters in my stories."

Penny looked uneasy. "My middle name is Anne."

"That's pretty," Sofia smiled.

"And you don't have to be embarrassed," James added. "One of my middle names is Harmon, a shortened form of Harmony."

"That's right," Sofia nodded. "You use that as Andrew's last name!"

"That's right. At first, when I started writing those stories, a few people teased me, but they stopped when I used the song the name came from," James explained, and he began to sing.

 _Harmony, oh harmony  
Where are you tonight, where are you tonight  
Harmony, oh harmony  
Have you gone away, have you gone to stay  
If you pass me by I will miss you  
And if you can cry I can cry too_

 _Harmony, oh harmony, where are you tonight, where are you tonight_  
 _Harmony, sweet harmony, have you gone astray, have you gone away_  
 _If you'd ask me why I will miss you, it's a part of my nature I guess_  
 _Oh harmony, sweet harmony_  
 _Oh where have you gone harmony_

"That's pretty!" Penny smiled.

"James' mother sang that when he was born," Roland explained. He also couldn't help but join in.

 _Harmony, oh harmony, where are you now, where are you right now  
Harmony, oh harmony, oh where have you gone, the hours are so long  
If you pass me by I will miss you and if you can cry I can cry too_

 _Harmony, oh harmony, I'm holding on tight, do you read me write  
Harmony, oh harmony, don't ever let go, don't ever let go  
If you'd ask me why I will miss you, it's a part of my nature I guess  
Oh harmony, sweet harmony, oh what have we done harmony_

James grinned as he and Roland finished the song.

 _If you pass me by I will miss you and if you can cry I can cry too_  
 _Harmony, sweet harmony, oh where have you gone, what have we done_  
 _Where have you gone harmony_

"I'm surprised you remembered that song," Roland said when the song was done.

"I remember anything music related," James smirked.

"Yes you do! And I know you'll help find a way to help Amber," Roland agreed, mussing James' hair before he went off.

James grinned as he turned to the girls and Miss Elodie. "Well, ladies, we've got a whole box full of books with possible solutions to this problem…so let's start reading."

 **Author's Notes**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some of the details for this chapter.**

 **Thanks also to theblindwriter95 for helping with some of the details, and for letting me borrow their character Penny.**

 **Harmony by Gordon Lightfoot is not mine, and that's where James' middle name Harmon comes from (Harmon is short for Harmony).**

 **San Franciscan Nights by The Animals is not mine.**

 **Sir Henley is the ice hockey coach from Lord of the Rink.**

 **Jagger's middle name of Brooks is of course based on Garth Brooks.**

 **I made up Miss Elodie's name of Gloriana.**

 **Like the girls' amulets let them talk to and understand animals, James' badge does the same thing (see chapter 4 of The Secret Love Song).**


	4. The mystery's new clues

A short time later, Roland and Miranda came back to the throne room to check on James and his group. They listened in amazement as the folder in Penny's hands read the story to her.

"That's very clever," Miranda observed, "But I think Dorrie cast the spell on all the folders."

"That must be why James, Miss Elodie, and Sofia are going to different corners, so the stories don't run together," Roland agreed, seeing James, Miss Elodie, and Sofia each take a folder and go to different corners.

Miranda smiled as she tried to listen to the stories. However, she heard a different voice next to her. She looked up as she heard Roland singing something to himself. "What song is that, Rollie?"

"It's just a song I sang to Amber when she was younger," Roland smiled. "When we were done with her bedtime stories, she'd say, 'Sing my song, Daddy!', so I sang her to sleep with it." He didn't know that Sir Finnegan and Amber were listening at the door as he began softly singing. He also thought back to one of the times he sang to her.

 _Flashback_

 _Eight-year-old Amber was in bed for the night, and she was smiling as Roland told her about how he and Melinda helped James feel better after having his story ripped up then restored. She had given James the picture of the monkey she'd made for him as well, and he loved it._

 _"That's why I didn't join you; I was putting the finishing touches on his picture," Amber said when Roland asked why she hadn't joined him and Melinda in cheering James up._

 _"I understand," Roland nodded, "You can join the game whenever you're ready. This sort of activity is more fun as a family!" he chuckled as he covered her face with kisses, smiling as Amber giggled under him. "But are you ready to go to sleep now?"_

 _"Almost," Amber settled on her pillow, "Sing my song, Daddy?"_

 _Roland grinned. "I knew I was forgetting something!" He kissed her forehead as he sang her favorite lullaby._

 ** _Some life I've been livin'  
Like a song in the night  
Good sounds every moment  
Good news and bright lights  
Anytime I get lonesome  
I just got to do the things right  
Make way for the lady  
You can do it my son  
Makin' hay with no gravy  
Brings the good folk down  
Anytime you get lonely  
You just got to turn it around_**

 ** _This life I've been given  
It don't tell you no lies  
Could've been somewhat wasted  
How could it be otherwise  
When the sound of the laughter  
Brought the tears in to my eyes_**

 ** _Make way for the lady  
You can do it my son  
Makin' hay with no gravy  
Gets the day's work done  
When a blue mood gets rollin'  
You just got to turn it around  
Turn it around_**

 ** _Shake hands with the father  
The son and the holy ghost  
The impossible believers  
And the heavenly host  
If you must do it better  
You just got to do it the most_**

 ** _Make way for the lady  
You can do it my son  
Makin' hay with no gravy  
Brings all the good folks down  
When a blue moon starts risin'  
You just got to turn it around  
Turn it around  
Turn it around_**

 ** _Make way for the lady  
And turn it around_**

 _Roland smiled as Amber fell asleep._ _"Good night, sweetheart."_

 _"Night, Daddy…" Amber murmured._

 _End flashback_

"I might have to sing that to her and see if it jogs her memory," Roland concluded his story.

"It's worth a shot," Miranda agreed.

Sir Finnegan looked down at Amber when the story was finished. "Do you remember that song, Princess Amber…I mean Julie?"

Amber shrugged. "Well, Duke Herbert is always singing some song as he works on his reports," she thought for a moment. "It sounds familiar, but I can't place where he heard it."

Thinking quickly, Sir Finnegan said, "Oh, that's right…Duke Herbert and I were in a restaurant once, and somebody was singing it there. I remember that restaurant - best grilled cheese sandwich I ever had!"

At the same time, Dorrie, Lucinda, and Candice were in Lucinda and Sofia's workshop going through several books. These books didn't talk, so they had to make do with reading to themselves.

After a while, Candice looked up. "I think I've got something!" She held up a book that was eleven and a half inches long, twelve and a half inches wide, and three inches thick. It was bound in lemon-yellow canvas. It looked old, but it was still in decent shape. The only thing on the cover was the book's title, Cursed Objects and Hexes for Fun and Profit. Among the black and white illustrations was a picture of the tiara that Amber had worn.

"I almost forgot about that book," Lucinda said as she took it. "My birth mother and I used to look up all kinds of hexes in it and we'd play tricks on people. Of course, this was before I met Sofia and she set me straight. I also remember some of the hexes from the Juneberry Island incident were from this book."

"Is there a cure for the tiara's spell on Amber?" Dorrie asked.

"I'll see if there's something," Lucinda replied, "I haven't read this book in a long time, and I've forgotten a lot of what was in here."

As Dorrie, Candice, and Lucinda were poring over the book they found, Sofia noticed that James was lost in thought over a small blue folder he was holding in his hands. Seeing his faraway look, she came up to him. "James?" she asked. When James jumped, she put a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to scare you. Did you find anything?"

James looked up, and Sofia was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "My first gold star story…" he murmured.

Getting a feeling that James wasn't getting teary eyed because of nostalgia, and seeing Roland and Miranda in the room, Sofia motioned for them to come over as she asked, "James, what's the matter?"

"This is the story Sir Henley saw me writing that day," James explained. "He convinced the fairies to let me in the creative writing class, even though it was for students ten and up, and I was only eight..."

 _Flashback_

 _It was James' first day with the creative writing class. Sir Henley had seen one of his stories, and convinced the fairies to let him in, even though it was for students ten and up. The fairies knew he was good at spelling and writing, but now they had a new reason to be impressed. The class had been given an assignment to write a mystery about something that had happened in their lives recently, but put a fictional spin on it. James knew that Amber's favorite doll had been lost, or so she thought; it was found to be in a different area of her closet. James wrote about that, but he included his characters Andrew Harmon and Julie Melody to help solve the case._

 _When the fairies read it, they were amazed, but still a little skeptical. "Are you sure this is your own work?" Miss Flora asked._

 _"Every bit of it!" James insisted._

 _"We just want to make sure, Prince James," Miss Merriweather assured him, "But this is one of the most excellent stories we've ever read! And for that, you get a gold star!"_

 _James grinned as the fairies put a gold star on his story. "Brilliant! Thank you!"_

 _"You're very welcome, dear," Miss Fauna smiled. "We hope to see more stories from you!"_

 _Unfortunately, James ran into trouble as he was leaving. An older princess, Deidre, who was also in the class, came up to him. "You think you can just waltz in here and write a supposedly fantastic story on your first day?" she said as she grabbed the paper._

 _"Give it back!" James shouted as she held it above her head._

 _"I can write better stories than this!" Deidre shouted, and to James' horror, she started ripping the story up._

 _"Stop it!" James tried to grab it, but Deidre turned her back and continued ripping it up. He watched tearfully as she threw the gold star away and scattered the pieces._

 _Hearing the sounds of shouts and crying, the fairies came up to see James holding the pieces of his ripped story, and Deidre glaring at him. "You tell the fairies you want out of the class!"_

 _"He'll do no such thing!" Miss Flora said sternly, planting herself between James and Deidre. "Princess Deidre, you have just earned a week of suspension! And you're in detention for a month when you come back!"_

 _Meanwhile, Miss Fauna and Miss Merriweather were holding James and comforting him. "Oh, there, there, dear, it's all right," Miss Fauna murmured. "We can fix it."_

 _"Really?" James looked up._

 _"Absolutely," Miss Merriweather smiled as she, Miss Fauna, and Miss Flora raised their wands. The papers glowed, then became a whole story again. Miss Merriweather looked over at the trash and said, "Oops! You too!" And the piece with the gold star connected itself to the paper._

 _"There you are, dear! Good as new!" Miss Fauna smiled._

 _"Thank you, but I don't want to cause any more trouble…" James started, "Maybe I should quit the class…"_

 _"You'll do no such thing!" Miss Flora repeated what she said to Deidre, only not as forcefully. "This was only a little setback. You shouldn't stop doing things you enjoy just because of one unpleasant experience. However, I do have an idea."_

 _"What?" James asked._

 _"Maybe we can wait until everyone's gone before we hand your paper back," Miss Flora suggested. "Sometimes students forget to put their names on their papers, and we have the anonymous ones at the front. Before they leave, they have to come up and see whose stories are whose. I suppose we could do something like that for you."_

 _"Okay," James nodded._

 _The fairies did continue doing that, even after the incident had been forgotten. But James kept the story in the back of his story box as a reminder of what had happened._

 _End flashback_

Miranda pulled James into a hug as he finished his story. "The fairies were right to accept you into the class. I've read your stories myself, and they're all wonderful, even if my favorite one is the one you used me in!" She smiled as Jagger joined them and licked his hands. "See? Even Jagger agrees that you're a talented writer!"

"Oh, sure. I use him in one story so far and he thinks he's all that and a bag of chips!" James smirked as he ruffled Jagger's head.

Jagger yipped happily, but James heard him say, "She's right, James, you're a great writer! But I found something you should take a look at!"

Putting the folder down, James followed Jagger to what he hoped would be a clue to get Amber's memory back.

 **Author's Notes**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some of the details on this chapter.**

 **Princess Deidre is a character of Niagara14301 and is used with permission.**

 **Gordon Lightfoot's Make Way for the Lady is not mine.**

 **Roland's flashback was like a deleted end scene from chapter 32 of Do You Want to Sing Together 3.**

 **Lucinda's memory of Juneberry Island was taken from Mom's the Word.**

 **James' flashback of Princess Deidre ripping his story up is referenced in chapter 1 of my story The Enchancian Canine Caper, and is mentioned in chapter 25 of Niagara14301's story Dorrie.**


	5. Different cures for different spells

Jagger led James over to a small box that had been hidden in the room since the whole adventure had started. "Good boy, Jag!" James said as he picked it up. However, as soon as he opened it to see what was in there, his dizziness and headache returned, and became so bad that he actually cried out, "Mom! Dad!"

Roland and Miranda sprinted over and steadied him when they saw him stumble as he tried to right himself. "I'll get that, James; you sit down," Roland said as he took the box from him and Miranda guided him to his throne.

"Everything's going to be all right, James," Miranda said soothingly as James squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against her.

"Let's stay out of their way, Jagger," Sofia said as she led Jagger away.

"I'm sorry, Sofia, I'm just trying to help!" Jagger's whimpering was almost as bad as James'.

"It's not your fault, Jagger; even though James was told to rest, he's trying to do everything he can to help Amber," Sofia assured him.

Meanwhile, Miranda kept a firm hold on James' shoulder as she helped him sit down. "Just sit down for a few minutes. You're going to be all right, James," she murmured, holding him like she had the last time he had a terrible nightmare.

"I've never been this dizzy before," James gasped, trembling as he sat down, holding onto her arm for dear life.

Suddenly, they heard a new voice. "James, Queen Miranda, I've got something that might help. I've sung this to my sister Reina whenever she got sick," James looked up, and saw Penny by his side, and Miss Elodie next to her, having guided her over.

"What's your idea, Penny?" Miss Elodie asked.

Penny smiled and began to sing. _Be optimistic!  
Don't you be a grumpy  
When the road gets bumpy  
Just smile  
(Smile and be happy!)_

Miranda smiled as she recognized the song. This was one she used to sing to Sofia when she was younger.

 _Your troubles can't be  
As bad as all that  
When you're sad as all that  
No one loves you_

She joined in, _Be optimistic!  
Don't you be a mourner  
Brighten up that corner  
And smile_

Penny sang back, _Don't wear a long face  
It's never in style  
Be optimistic  
And smile!_

Even Sofia joined in when she recognized the song, _Be optimistic!  
Don't you be a grumpy  
When the road gets bumpy  
Just smile  
(Smile and be happy!)_

Miss Elodie also joined in, having sung this song as a child, _Your troubles can't be  
As bad as all that  
When you're sad as all that  
No one loves you_

Miranda joined in again, _Be optimistic!  
Don't you be a mourner  
Brighten up that corner  
And smile_

They finished the song together, _Don't wear a long face  
It's never in style  
Be optimistic  
And smile!_

James breathed a huge sigh of relief as he listened to the song and he started to feel a little better. He remembered this as one of his mother's favorite songs to sing when he or Amber were sad or scared about something. He looked up when he saw Amber next to him, with Sir Finnegan beside her.

"I heard you cry out, Little Prince," Sir Finnegan said as he knelt next to him. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. I just got really dizzy, and having a bad headache doesn't help either," James nodded, but quickly realized his mistake as he felt the room spin. He started to reach for the potion bottle again, but decided against it, thinking that if it made him that dizzy when it wore off, it wouldn't be a good idea to take more. He still thought he'd bring that up with Candice and see what she said about it.

Beside him, as if she heard his thoughts, Miranda nodded in agreement and let him lean on her shoulder. She agreed that Candice's intentions had been good, but he shouldn't take something if it didn't agree with him.

"What happened, Andrew?" Amber asked, taking his hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm okay now, Julie; Amanda, Elisa, and my friend Anne just helped me out with a song. You know music makes everything better," James assured her, leaning against Miranda. He noticed that Penny looked embarrassed about her middle name being used, but she knew why it had to be like that.

When he saw that James was going to be all right, and smiling as he recognized another of Melinda's favorite songs, Roland turned to Jagger. "Okay, boy, before all this excitement happened, you looked like you found something," He followed the dog over to the box and picked it up. He got a strange look on his face when he opened it and saw what was resting inside.

"What is it, Rollie?" Miranda asked, seeing Roland grip the box tightly.

Instead of answering her right away, Roland turned to Baileywick, who was just coming in to see how everyone was doing. "Baileywick," Roland ordered, but keeping his voice down so Amber wouldn't hear him, "Send for King Magnus and his sorcerer at once. There's something here that they need to see."

"Yes, your Majesty," Baileywick agreed, but he looked surprised. Roland rarely ever had King Magnus summoned. In fact, the last time Magnus had been in Enchancia Castle, James had had to sing with his door closed for a week so Roland could have some quiet time, and this was only for a casual visit from the king of Rudistan. He also hid a sigh of relief that Amber hadn't heard him call the captain of the guards 'Your Majesty'; he looked over at Amber, but she was paying more attention to James and hadn't heard him. He stole a look at Roland, and saw the same relief on his face.

"Why do you need to see King Magnus?" Miranda asked.

"I think I know who the person is who did this to Amber," Roland replied, frowning at the box.

"Who is it?" Sofia asked.

They were approached by James, who was leaning on Miss Elodie's shoulder, and was being steadied by Miranda. "I think it's that Slickwell guy you told us about. You know, King Magnus said he was fired as his royal steward after he tried to steal Baileywick's job," he started. "I wasn't with you when he was doing all that stuff at the Jubilee, but I saw him as he was kicked off the royal schooner."

"And look at your notes," Roland picked up James' notebook. "I saw you writing some random words down before all this started, and Franciskus L. Wilde has several letters that coincide with the name Slickwell."

"Brilliant logic, Dad! I knew that was an anagram of some kind!" James grinned.

In a short time, King Magnus and his royal sorcerer Greylock arrived at the castle. Greylock smiled at Lucinda, Dorrie and Candice when they came down to the throne room; he was familiar with their magical talents, but he frowned at James. According to Magnus' daughter Princess Aileen, another student in the creative writing class, he'd been included in one of James' stories that Lucinda had brought to life, but hadn't played much of a role. But he agreed that now wasn't the time to dwell on that. After he and James agreed to a truce, and the possibility of having a larger role in a new Andrew Harmon mystery, Greylock turned to the group.

"Your Majesties, you were right about this tiara being dangerous," he started. "Fortunately, I've got a counterspell for it. All I need is some help gathering the ingredients."

"Tell us what to do, Greylock," Dorrie spoke up, Candice and Lucinda nodding at her side.

"Very well, ladies," Greylock smiled. He let them lead the way back to Sofia and Lucinda's workshop. "Let's go; we've got work to do."

 **Author's Notes**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some details on this chapter.**

 **Thanks also to theblindwriter95 for helping with some details on this chapter, and suggesting the song Penny, Miranda, Sofia, and Miss Elodie sang, _Be Optimistic,_ from the Shirley Temple movie _Little Miss Broadway._**

 **Greylock and King Magnus were both featured in Baileywhoops. Greylock also played a small role in chapter 5 of my story The Enchancian Canine Caper as a "hired goon".**

 **James' description of what Slickwell did was from Baileywhoops.**

 **Princess Aileen is from Niagara14301's Dorrie Book 1.**

 **In chapter 6 of my story The Day the Music Died, Miranda helped calm James down whenever he had nightmares.**

 **In chapter 9 of my story The Secret Love Song, James said that he'd only sing with his door closed whenever Roland needed to concentrate on royal business or if he needed quiet.**

 **James' knowledge of anagrams and codes is used in several of his stories, and plays a big part in my story A Puzzling Mystery Weekend.**

 **What can Greylock do to help Candice, Lucinda, and Dorrie? And what did Roland find that made him react like that? (Curse you, cliffhangers!)**


	6. Getting down to business

Dorrie, Lucinda, Candice, and Greylock started to leave the room, but Roland stopped them. "Before you go, there's something you need to know about," he started. When they came back, Roland told them about what had just happened.

"Oh my gosh! Is James all right?!" Dorrie asked.

"He'll be fine. He was just frightened for the most part," Roland assured her.

"I followed the instructions to that potion exactly! And I watched as James just took a small sip like he was supposed to!" Candice blurted out.

Roland smiled reassuringly. "I know you did, Candice, and I'm not blaming you for anything. However, I need to know what was in there, so if you make the potion for him again, you know what to avoid, and if you can substitute something for it."

Candice reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper. Roland scanned it, and as he looked over the list of ingredients, he nodded as he saw one of them. "Of course," he murmured, "Pelicant Eggshell Powder. I should have known. From what I remember from Royal Prep's potion class, it normally suppresses headaches and moderate dizziness. But if a person is dizzy already, the feeling multiplies when anything it's in wears off, and balance is sometimes affected as well."

"What's the matter, Rollie?" Miranda asked, leaving James in Penny and Miss Elodie's capable hands as she came over to them.

"It turns out that the potion James took has Pelicant Eggshell Powder in it," Roland replied. "He's not allergic to it, but even as a child, he's always had trouble with it."

"What's it like?" Miranda asked.

"It's colorless, but it has a sour aftertaste that's not noticeable right away. One might notice a strange taste in their mouth a few hours after taking it, but normally it's nothing to worry about," Roland explained.

"I didn't notice that at first, but I felt kind of funny as it was wearing off," James nodded.

Violet, the head maid, and mother to Dorrie and Candice, nodded as she entered, having heard the conversation, and wanting to see if there was anything she could do to help as well. She was grateful that Baileywick had told her everything that was going on, and she loved James' stories as much as everyone in the castle. She put her arms around Dorrie and Candice as she said, "I remember that well, your Majesty. When Prince James was still running himself ragged trying to avoid music, he'd sometimes be up with Cedric cleaning his workshop. That ingredient spilled on him by accident one day, and even though Cedric actually did the right thing and washed it off quickly, Prince James still got so sick."

Roland nodded. That was actually one of a handful of times that he hadn't blamed Cedric for something going wrong, but instead thanked him for leaping into action to help somebody.

Beside him, Sofia spoke up. "Now that you mention it, James had the same problem with that in Royal Prep. A month before he started singing in public again, we were in a potions class, and we had to work with that. He got such a bad headache when he accidentally breathed in a small bit of it that the fairies had to send him home," she looked like she remembered something else. "And now I know why you have that message on Lucinda's and my potion shelf: 'James gets sick when he takes or is exposed to Pelicant Eggshell Powder.'"

" _My_ sorcerer never worked with that ingredient," Magnus spoke up.

"And for good reason, your Majesty, Mister Greylock has the same problem with that ingredient himself," Sofia replied.

Greylock nodded silently as he looked over the list of ingredients in the potion James had taken. "This actually does work, but if you have to make it again, might I suggest a mixture of griffin sweat and crocodile tears in place of the Pelicant Eggshell Powder? It still works the same way," he suggested.

"I'll have to try that," Candice nodded. "Thank you, Mister Greylock."

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience, sir," Penny observed.

"I made a similar concoction for Princess Aileen a while back," Greylock explained. "While I do have the Pelicant Eggshell Powder in my own stores, you know I can't use it. I looked up an alternative for that ingredient, and I learned that a combination of griffin sweat and crocodile tears has the same effect."

"And after doing some more reading, I found a cure for the spell on Amber," Lucinda spoke up, holding her book open to a page.

"We have all those ingredients in our potion cabinet!" Sofia said as she read the list.

"Almost all of them," Lucinda corrected her, "I used the last of my Diamond Dust helping Amber clean her tiaras two weeks ago and I forgot to restock it."

"Well, Princess Lucinda, it's a good thing I always carry extra potion ingredients with me for just such an emergency," Greylock smiled. He set a bag down and rooted through it for a few moments, but at last he found a large gold and white pouch. "Here we go! Diamond Dust! And you can have this. One of my friends gave me several pouches of Diamond Dust a few weeks ago."

"Thank you, Mister Greylock!" Lucinda smiled, "Now, let's go make that antidote!"

"And the rest of us can find Slickwell," Dorrie agreed.

"I'll help too," James spoke up.

"If by that you mean you'll stay here and take it easy, then yes you will," Roland cut in. James started to protest, but Roland continued. "All your stories have helped us come up with ideas to help Amber, and we appreciate everything you're doing. But I remember telling you to rest and take it easy. You don't want to have another reaction to that Pelicant Eggshell Powder, do you?"

"Well, no…" James hesitated.

"So while the girls are helping Greylock with the potion, why don't you and I work together and set up one of the traps you talk about in your stories?" Roland suggested.

"I tried using traps once, and it didn't work," James repeated what he'd said before.

"Maybe you just need a fresh pair of eyes for that," Roland replied. He picked up a random folder from James' 'try again later' box that Candice had also brought down and Dorrie enchanted with the same spell she used to make the stories read to Penny, and he and James listened as the story was read to them.

Magnus was listening along with them. He and Aileen enjoyed mysteries, and now he was in the middle of a real life one. "I'd like to offer my assistance as well," he spoke up. "Aileen and I are avid readers of mysteries, and though some of the authors and detectives are older than your character, we've still learned a few tricks."

As Magnus, James, and Roland started looking through the folders, Greylock, Dorrie, Sofia, Lucinda, and Candice went to Sofia and Lucinda's workshop to start the antidote.

At the same time, Jagger was sniffing around looking for the box. He'd seen Roland drop it when he went to help James, and thought he heard Roland say what it was. He picked the box up in his teeth and started on his way over. However, he stumbled after he'd gone a few paces.

Penny heard him yelp, and she and Miss Elodie came up to him. "Jagger, what's the matter?" she asked. She had just taken the box and was feeling around it when she slipped as well. "Oh!" She gasped. She would have fallen, but Miss Elodie grabbed her shoulder to steady her.

"Are you all right, Princess Penny?" Miss Elodie asked.

"I'm fine," Penny gasped. "I felt something in here, and suddenly it's like I was standing on ice!"

Miranda came over to see if they were all right. She saw a small object on the ground. Not wanting to slip herself, she picked it up in her handkerchief. "A pin-oh!" she gasped before slipping herself just the same.

Baileywick was immediately on the scene. He steadied Miranda as he said, "No one else touch this gold two-headed snake pin!" he ordered, at the same time describing it to Penny.

"You know what this is, sir?" Penny asked.

"Yes I do, Princess Penny, and I was unfortunate enough to be cursed by it as well," Baileywick glared at the pin.

"This is the pin Slickwell cursed you with," Roland recognized it.

"Brilliant!" James grinned. When everyone looked at him, he explained, "If we found that thing Slickwell used, he can't be too far away, right?"

"Exactly," Roland smiled back.

"Excellent! And getting back to business, what about this idea?" Magnus held up a yellow folder. "This story has a trap in it involving a request for a new servant in a castle."

James took the folder and looked at the line Magnus was pointing at. He listened as the story read to him about a villain who was tricked into coming to Jameslandia Castle with the prospect of getting a job. He was cornered in the throne room and the person who was thought to be retired, as well as everyone in the castle, caught the villain in a cage.

"I guess we could try something like that," James agreed. "Even though I rejected that idea, Andrew had such a great line!"

They listened as the book read, _"Surprisingly, the trap failed to spring. The cage still hung in midair with the wizard under it, looking puzzled. 'Well?' he asked. Andrew frowned from where he stood next to the chandelier with the axe at his side. 'This always worked in the movies!'"_

"Like I said, I didn't like the way this was going," James shrugged.

"It was still an interesting idea," Roland assured him, reading along with the next few lines. _"'Watching from above, Chloe aimed her wand at the cage, dropping it on the wizard and trapping him.'_ At least you had some extra help."

"Yeah, but Lucinda's not here this time," James shook his head.

"Maybe not, but I am," Roland replied. "What would Duke Herbert do in this sort of situation?"

James picked up another folder. "I think I know something! Let's get to work, Dad, and I promise, I will take it easy while we get this set up…"

 **Author's Notes**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some details for this chapter.**

 **Griffin Sweat and Crocodile Tears are two of the ingredients found in Enchanted Science Fair.**

 **Pelicant Eggshell Powder is based on the Pelicant egg from Dads and Daughters Day.**

 **King Magnus' 'MY Sorcerer' comments can frequently be heard in Cedric's Apprentice.**

 **Diamond Dust was found in** **The Fliegel Has Landed.**

 **The pin that Penny, Miss Elodie and Miranda encountered, and that Baileywick had firsthand experience with, was the Pin of Klutzenheimer, which Slickwell used in Baileywhoops.**

 **The title of this chapter is taken from the Jem and the Holograms song "Getting Down to Business".**


	7. The cure and the capture

While James and Roland were working on the trap for Slickwell, Sofia, Lucinda, Greylock, Dorrie, and Candice were in Sofia and Lucinda's workshop getting the potion ingredients together. "Add plenty of powdered Jobberknoll feathers; those are essential for memory potions," Greylock instructed.

"I knew we had them for some reason, but I never knew why," Sofia commented, holding up a jar.

"My birth mother used those in her memory potions all the time," Lucinda explained.

"We use those in Hexley Hall's potion classes too," Candice agreed, Dorrie nodding at her side.

"Don't forget the Cauldronized Magic Crystals," Greylock added, picking up a small pouch.

"Who could forget those?" Sofia murmured, recalling how Amber used those to make her infamous butterfly costume.

"What's so funny?" Dorrie asked, seeing her smile for the first time since their adventure started.

Sofia smiled. "Funny story about that, Dorrie; I'll tell you later."

"Now for a mixture of Hocus Crocus and Rose Petal Dust," Candice agreed. She smiled as she smelled the blended flowers.

"Candice, if you inhale too much of that, we won't have enough for Amber's potion!" Lucinda smiled.

"I can't help it! I love flowers!" Candice grinned as she poured the mixture into the cauldron, and sneaking in a few last sniffs of the flowers.

"You and Violet both! The castle always smells so nice with the potpourri you two make with all the dried flowers," Sofia smiled. "You and Dorrie also do Royal Prep's after school gardening club proud!"

"Very good, ladies! Now if someone could add the Diamond Dust, Powdered Unicorn Horn, and Salt Water Extract, we'll have all our ingredients," Greylock smiled.

Meanwhile, as Dorrie, Sofia, Candice, Greylock, and Lucinda were working on the potion, James and Roland were working on a trap for Slickwell. Roland scanned a new folder in his hands. He watched as Miranda, Penny, and Miss Elodie looked through other folders to find an idea if this one didn't work.

"Your story said that a castle was in need of a new staff member," Roland looked up a few moments later. "How about we create an advertisement for a new steward?"

"That sounds good. We'll leave it where Slickwell can find it, and leave instructions to have him meet you in your study," James agreed. "I looked at another story of mine, which I rejected, but it had a trap that Andrew fell into: he sat down on a chair and got stuck. I actually tried traps in more than one story, but I didn't like how they turned out in those either."

"That's okay, but how did he get out?" Roland asked.

"I had trouble coming up with an idea, so I asked the knights about that. Sir Finnegan suggested Andrew grab a vine which was hanging over his head and pull himself out, like someone would if they were in quicksand or a bog," James recalled, "This happened when I started as his squire, and he was telling me a story about one of his adventures."

"Now that I hear you say that, Sofia and Amber helped the Buttercups that way when Amber joined the troop," Miranda agreed, recalling how Sofia and Amber regaled her with the tale of how they and the Buttercups met Mossy the Swamp Monster and how Amber joined the troop.

A few hours later, they heard someone approaching Roland's study. Roland, James, and Magnus were inside; Roland was at his desk, and Magnus and James were hiding close by. Baileywick had also been told of the situation, and James had helped him write a fake letter of resignation, as well as an advertisement for a new castle steward. Roland had given James and Magnus a signal for when they should come out.

When everyone was in position, they heard footsteps approach. There was a knock on the door. "Enter," Roland invited.

The door opened, and a man with a short haircut, and dressed in servants' clothing, entered, with Baileywick behind him. He spoke with a very familiar fake accent. "Your Majesty," he smiled and bowed. "I've come to answer your advertisement. 'Castle steward needed, as the current one is retiring. Must be prepared to make sure everything goes smoothly, willing to help royal family with problems that come up, and be there for everyone when needed.'"

Roland smiled. "Thank you for coming…" he paused, waiting for him to give his name. That would be James' cue to start figuring out if it was indeed Slickwell.

"Wicks, your Majesty," the man smiled. "Aldis Fullerton Wicks."

Working quickly, James started comparing the letters in the name. "I'm getting a 'Slickwell' out of this, King Magnus," he whispered after a moment.

Magnus was impressed at how quickly James solved the puzzle. "You're very good at that, Prince James. But MY daughter has quite a talent for word games herself!" he whispered back.

"I know; Miss Merriweather's seen us both in action in classes at Royal Prep," James grinned as they quietly slipped out. "But we need to stay focused."

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Roland was saying, and he was pretending to sound sad. "I still can't believe that this is going to be our castle steward's last week with us. He's been here since I was a boy, and he served my father as well."

"I suppose it's good, then, that he's going to retire," Aldis smiled. "He's earned himself a well-deserved vacation."

Roland smiled, and listened as Magnus knocked on the door. "Baileywick, someone's at the door," he motioned for Baileywick to get over to the door.

Baileywick opened the door, looked around for a moment, and said their code phrase, "It looks like the bananas have arrived, sire."

"Bananas?" Aldis looked puzzled.

"Well, I do like monkeys, and I tend to drive everyone bananas!" James grinned as he and King Magnus entered.

"But not in this case!" Roland grinned as he blocked Slickwell's path.

"Hello, Slickwell," Magnus smirked. "Long time no see."

"K-King Magnus!" Slickwell gasped as two guards entered.

"Guards, seize him," Roland directed.

"Call off your guards, Roland; I'll take care of this. There's a prison cell with Slickwell's name on it back in Rudistan," Magnus assured him, "But what about your daughter Princess Amber?"

"I'm glad you brought that up, Magnus, but we'll let Slickwell watch the cure first," Roland said as Sofia, Dorrie, Candice, and Greylock entered.

"Everything's ready, your Majesty; Sir Finnegan and Lucinda are bringing Princess Amber here as we speak," Dorrie smiled.

A short time later, Lucinda, Sir Finnegan and Amber entered, with Miranda, Violet, Miss Elodie, Penny, and Jagger, who was acting as a guide dog for her, close behind.

"Princess Julie, I'm glad you're here," Candice smiled, "I've been working with Elisa and Amanda on a new perfume, and since you like our work so much, I'd be honored if you'd try it and give me an opinion."

"I'd be glad to, Megan," Amber smiled as she took the very pretty perfume bottle from Candice. She sprayed some on, and as it made contact with her skin, she was immediately engulfed in a rose scented cloud. When it cleared, she looked around in confusion. "This smells wonderful, Candice, what kind of perfume is this?"

"Amber?" James asked tentatively.

"James, what's going on?" Amber asked, "The last thing I remember is being part of a magic show, tripping on something, and then falling on the floor. Did I ruin the trick?"

"No, Amber, I think the magician ruined it himself," James said, nodding at Slickwell.

"Don't worry, Amber, we'll tell you everything," Sofia promised.

"Yes we will, and well done, all of you! Now, Magnus, I think you're right; I'll have Slickwell turned over to you, and the Rudistan authorities can do with him what they will," Roland said as he drew Amber to his side.

"Excellent idea, Roland. Come, Greylock," Magnus motioned to Greylock. "Slickwell has much to answer for."

"Yes, your Majesty," Greylock agreed. He turned to the girls. "I thank you for allowing me to help make that potion. And Prince James," he added, turning to James, "I do hope to have a larger role in your next story. I know Princess Sofia said you wouldn't write about what happened to Princess Amber, but perhaps for a future one…?"

"I'll see what I can come up with," James promised. "Thanks for all your help."

As Slickwell was led away, Jagger suddenly broke away from Penny. He ran up to Slickwell, jumped on him from behind, and started tugging on the back of his pants.

"Jagger, stop," Roland said calmly. "Bad dog."

"Jagger, you know better," James said just as coolly.

Jagger tugged and tugged until everyone heard a loud rip. He took the large piece of cloth he'd ripped from the seat of Slickwell's pants and proudly brought his prize over to James.

"Well, I think that's the end of this adventure," James couldn't resist joking, "Good boy, Jag!"

"Thanks, James, now can you get me something to get this bad taste out of my mouth?" Jagger asked.

"No problem, buddy," James promised as Slickwell was finally taken away over everyone's laughter.

As Slickwell, Magnus, and Greylock were on their way back to Rudistan, Slickwell silently vowed, "You haven't seen the last of Slickwell!"

 **Author's Notes**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with some of the details in this chapter.**

 **Jobberknoll feathers are potion ingredients found in Harry Potter.**

 **Cauldronized Magic Crystals and Sofia's memory of the "infamous butterfly costume" are from Princess Butterfly.**

 **Hocus Crocus is from Enchanted Science Fair.**

 **Rose Petal Dust is based on Once Upon a Princess, when Cedric created the rose petals.**

 **Mossy the Swamp Monster is from Buttercup Amber.**

 **"It looks like the bananas have arrived" was inspired by Downton Abbey. (near the end of "Downton Abbey", a mysterious writer was doing a women's advice column for Lady Edith's magazine. It was very popular, and she and another of the magazine's staff wanted to meet the writer for themselves. The two came across a code word to use with each other if they thought the person who was showing up was the real thing - "Bananas".**


	8. Loose ends get tied up

When Magnus, Greylock, and Slickwell had gone, there was a sigh of relief from all around, signaling the end of the adventure. The peaceful moment was broken when Penny asked, "James, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Okay," James replied, and led her out into the hall. "What's up?" he asked when they were alone.

"I want to thank you for including me in this adventure of yours," Penny started, "But are you sure I don't have to be embarrassed about my middle name?"

"That's right, and just like my middle name came from a song, so did yours," James explained, and he sang a line from one of Roland's favorite songs: _"Her name was Anne and I'll be damned if I recall her face. She left me not knowin' what to do."_

Penny smiled. "I never thought of it that way! Thank you!"

"Like I said, music makes everything better," James squeezed her hand.

"Now you'll probably have to tell my parents that, and about the song," Penny added. "They're always telling me not to be embarrassed about my middle name, and now you found the perfect solution! And maybe you could set one of your mysteries in Brilliancia. You might have to come to my castle and learn the layout, though."

"That's a brilliant idea, Penny! Andrew Harmon and Julie Melody, on location!" James grinned as he led her back to the throne room.

After Miss Elodie offered to take Penny home, and they were thanked for their help, everyone told Amber about what happened.

"I'm sorry I caused so much trouble," Amber apologized.

"Slickwell was the one who caused trouble, not you," Roland assured her.

"That's right, and it's lucky I kept all of my birth mother's spell books. That's how we were able to find the cure for you so quickly," Lucinda agreed. She held up the book that Candice had found. "The tiara was found in this book, and the cure for its spell was on the next chapter."

"What _was_ that tiara, anyway?" Dorrie asked. "You said you'd seen it before."

"It's called the Diadem of Memory," Lucinda explained. "If someone puts it on, their memory is stolen, and they act like the first thing they come in contact with."

"Like a character in one of James' stories?" Sofia suggested, recalling how Dorrie had thrown one of James' story folders at Amber when she was wearing it.

"That's right," Lucinda nodded.

"How much do you want to bet that Slickwell wanted to use that tiara to make Amber think she was his helper so they could do something to steal Baileywick's job?" James asked.

"James, you know I disapprove of gambling, but I know exactly what you're saying," Baileywick agreed.

"But I thought you liked _The Gambler_!" James grinned.

"The song, yes; the activity, no," Baileywick smirked.

"Luckily, the potion we made reverses the spell. And the diadem itself can be used every seventy-five years," Lucinda broke in, ending the friendly bantering.

"That's good to know," Miranda commented, putting an arm around Amber. "But what became of it?"

"Well, Miranda, it's right where it fell when Slickwell originally hit Amber," Roland pointed at the tiara, which Sir Finnegan and the guards were keeping an eye on. "And as soon as Magnus and Greylock took Slickwell with them back to Rudistan, I got in contact with Cedric's father, Goodwin the Great. He said he'd be right over," Roland finished his explanation as he saw Cedric's parents approaching with Baileywick. "Speak of the devil!"

"May I present Goodwin the Great, former Sorcerer of Enchancia, and his wife, Winifred the Wise," Baileywick announced.

"King Roland!" Goodwin smiled and bowed as he entered the throne room.

"Thank you for coming, Goodwin, Winifred," Roland smiled.

"Is Princess Amber all right? As soon as we learned about the Diadem of Memory, Goodwin started working on a potion to help her," Winifred told him.

"That's very kind of you, but we also made a potion to help her, since I have a book about that myself," Lucinda explained, showing her the book.

"That's the exact potion we were going to use!" Winifred smiled. "I suppose it's true what they say: Great minds think alike!"

"Now, Winifred," Goodwin chuckled as he turned back to Roland and Miranda. "If it's all right with you, your Majesties, we'll take this tiara with us back to Mystic Meadows."

"The sooner that thing's out of this castle the better," Miranda murmured to Roland, who nodded in agreement.

"Why would you take it there?" Sofia asked.

Goodwin smiled. "Because it so happens that the basement of our cottage is where I store such items," he explained, encasing the tiara in a magical bubble. "A special section of the basement is devoted to dark items, and has a spell on it that neutralizes their power."

"Excellent idea," Roland agreed. "I think you should also take this with you." He tried to be careful as he picked up Slickwell's Pin of Klutzenheimer, but he still stumbled into Goodwin and Winifred as he handed it to them.

Winifred smiled as she helped steady him. She encased the pin in a second magic bubble so she could handle it without slipping. "The Pin of Klutzenheimer," she mused. "I can't believe we have it in our possession at last!"

"We'll put it with the tiara in our basement," Goodwin assured Roland, "Nobody will ever be able to use this evil thing ever again!"

Even Baileywick seemed happy that the pin would no longer be a threat to him, or anyone else. He'd seen enough of that pin to last a few lifetimes, and he said as much to Roland as he showed Goodwin and Winifred outside.

A few days later, James was feeling better, and he was doing some catch-up work on some royal paperwork. He'd been at it since after breakfast, and he didn't show any signs of slowing up. Jagger had come in, and was keeping him company as he put on some music. This had always been one of his favorite songs to do in Music Appreciation; the whole class always did the chorus as loudly as they could.

 _Wee-ooh wim-o-weh. Wee-ooh wim-o-weh.  
Wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh  
o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-weh.  
Wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh  
o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-weh._

 _In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.  
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _Wee-ooh wim-o-weh._

("I can't hear you, buddy! Back me up!" James ruffled Jagger's fur.)

 _Wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh  
o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-weh.  
Wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh  
o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-weh._

James grinned as Jagger howled along with the chorus and he sang the verses. He knew their voices couldn't go as high as the singers, but they still did their best.

 _Near the village, the peaceful village, the lion sleeps tonight.  
Near the village, the peaceful village, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _Wee-ooh wim-o-weh. Wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh  
o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-weh.  
Wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh  
o-wim-o-weh o-wim-o-weh o-wim-weh._

Jagger was impressed with how quickly James was able to turn out an edited version of the papers, but he still wanted to play.

 _Hush, my darling, don't fear, my darling, the lion sleeps tonight.  
Hush, my darling, don't fear, my darling, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _Whuh whuh whuh wim-o-weh. Wee-ooh wim-o-weh wee-ooh  
wim-o-weh wee-ooh wim-o-weh._

"Come on, James, let's go play!" Jagger whined when the song ended.

"I'll be right there, Jag; I just need to finish proofing this paper," James replied, as he was involved in going over the paper in his hands and making the necessary revisions.

"You said that six papers ago!" Jagger sighed as he heard a knock on the door. He jumped off the bed, and since it was open, looked around. He perked up when he saw Lucinda. "What are you doing here?"

Lucinda winked at him. "You know what I'm doing here, Jagger," she said as she handed him a paper.

Jagger took the paper in his teeth and brought it over to James, who finally put the paper he was editing on a pile of finished documents. He put it on top of the papers that were yet to be edited.

James found the paper, and as he scanned it, he groaned to himself. However, it was out of frustration rather than exhaustion. "I know Dad says the staff has trouble spelling, but this is unbelievable," he muttered. "Well, let's check the damage…"

Unknown to James, the family, Dorrie, and Candice, had gathered outside the door, which was wide open. The girls had written up a fake document for James to edit. They knew that he always read the papers to himself as he worked, so he wouldn't suspect a thing. They also deliberately put in spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes, knowing that his keen proofreading skills would catch them, but he wouldn't catch onto what they were doing until it was too late.

James stretched as he looked over the document. "This is weird," he mused as he finished editing it. "Why would Dad be given a paper like this?"

"What's it say?" Jagger asked.

James blinked. "Wait a minute. This isn't for Dad. It says 'Today's Agenda for James.'"

"Well, read it! What's on the agenda today: Playing, playing, and more playing?" Jagger asked.

"'First item, put on a song you like, and make sure your door is open,'" James made sure he read it correctly, then shrugged again as he put one of his favorite songs on and nodded at the door, which was indeed wide open.

 _Paperback writer  
_  
"Why am I not surprised about that?" Jagger said dryly, hearing James' favorite Beatles song start playing.

James started singing as he read the list at the same time.

 _Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?  
It took me years to write, will you take a look?  
It's based on a novel by a man named Lear  
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer  
Paperback writer_

"'Second item, if someone comes in, just ignore them and go about your business,'" James read over the music. "'However, if they tap you on the shoulder, look up.'"

 _It's the dirty story of a dirty man  
And his clinging wife doesn't understand  
His son is working for the Daily Mail  
It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer  
Paperback writer_

As he was singing and going over the document, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Dorrie grab his ankles. At the same time, Candice grabbed his shoulders and Sofia took the paper.

 _Paperback writer_

 _It's a thousand pages, give or take a few  
I'll be writing more in a week or two_

Sofia smiled as she continued reading. "'Third item, the people in the room have permission to put the papers on the desk. They should be organized so edited and original drafts don't get mixed.'"

 _I can make it longer if you like the style  
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer  
Paperback writer_

"I'll take care of that," Amber offered as she put the papers in different piles on the desk.

At the same time, James, who had a strange feeling, tried to get out of their grip, but the girls held him fast. That didn't stop him from seeing Roland and Miranda outside the door. "Mom! Dad! Help me!"

 _If you really like it you can have the rights  
It could make a million for you overnight_

Roland smirked as he and Miranda came in and Miranda held his wrists. "James, you know you aren't supposed to read ahead!" As he pinned James on the bed, he read the last item on the list, "'Final item, turn the music up as loud as it can go and let's play 'Let's Get James'! But he is allowed to yell for help. Someone might have to pick a new song if the current one is ending.'"

"'Let's get James?'" James asked, still trying to get out from under them.

 _If you must return it, you can send it here  
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer  
Paperback writer_

Candice grinned down at him. "You heard him: Let's get James!"

As everyone began a game of 'Tickle the Singer', they saw that he was trying to glare at them, but they saw that he was having as much fun as they were due to the grin on his face. "Really?" James tried to sound accusing, but he didn't sound too upset since he was laughing so hard.

Roland grinned down at him as he mussed his hair. "Don't be like that, James; you know I said I'd wait until you felt better before we did this again!"

 _Paperback writer_

 _Paperback writer, paperback writer_  
 _Paperback writer, paperback writer_  
 _Paperback writer, paperback writer_  
 _Paperback writer, paperback writer_

By the time the song was ending, James was laughing so hard that he could barely sing. He was also trying to keep away from Jagger, who was licking him in the face. "Violet! Baileywick! Help me!" he shouted, seeing them outside. He looked up quickly, and when he saw another person come up, he shouted, "Sir Finnegan!"

Sir Finnegan entered, but instead of helping him, mussed his hair. "I think you've got everything under control here, Little Prince!" he chuckled. He was about to walk away, but Sofia handed him a CD and asked him to turn up the volume. He obliged by putting it in James' radio and turning up the volume. "There you go, Princess Sofia. Now, Prince James, sing your way out of that!" he joked as he left the room.

As the new song started, Violet and Baileywick smiled at each other, not just in amusement at what was going on, and that James was singing with his door open again, but the song happened to be one of their favorites. "You don't need our help, Prince James, I'm sure this is nothing the great Andrew Harmon can't handle," Violet joked as James yelled for help.

Baileywick was also smiling at the scene. "Never a dull moment in Enchancia, Violet."

Inside James' room, Amber was also smiling as she ruffled his hair. "Thanks for helping me, James."

"We won't forget this in a hurry!" James laughed under everyone.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Even though James said he wouldn't write about what happened to Amber, he still might use a similar idea. And now he had even more ideas for stories which he knew everyone would love.

The End

 **Author's notes**

 **Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping out with details on this chapter.**

 **Thanks also to theblindwriter95 for helping out with some details on this chapter.**

 **Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot is not mine, and the reason why it became one of Roland's favorite songs can be found in chapter 2 of Niagara14301's story Glimpses.**

 **The Lion Sleeps Tonight by the Tokens is not mine.**

 **Paperback Writer by the Beatles is also not mine.**

 **"I can't hear you buddy, back me up!" is from The Lion King.**

 **The Gambler by Kenny Rogers is not mine, and the song can be found in chapter 6 of Niagara14301's A Royal Rift.**

 **James' complaint about the staff having trouble spelling is from chapter 2 of my story Pet Stories.**

 **Well, another story's come to an end. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you had fun reading it.**


End file.
